Web Junkies

July 13, 2015

Teachers are faced with students who ARE addicted to a screen. That screen can be a cell phone, a tablet, a computer, or the television. How many of you have the issue with your own children? When my nephew and niece spend time with me which can be for days because spending the night with Aunt Penny is just WAY COOL, they know there are limits to any screen time.

How do we balance the ever present desire for the children? TIMERS. No school offers more time for creativity. On one recent visit, I dumped a pile of toilet paper rolls on the floor along with a basket full of tape, ribbon, fabric, and oodles of other items specifically for destruction to be repurposed with the imagination.

People today ARE addicted to the screen, not just young people. Observing patrons in a restaurant this week, all except one table had one or more members of the party looking at their phone for extended periods of time. Involving the children in our observing showed them the importance of putting the phone or tablet away!

The POV (Point of View) documentary airing on PBS this evening, “Web Junkie” looks to provide parents and teachers with talking points along with real life examples of the dangers of too much screen time.
Teachers may enter to win a viewing party prize pack that includes:

Ends today, July 13, 2015
PBS has created lesson plans for grade level 8-12. Teachers of lower grades will put their adaptive skills to use to create lessons for their students.

Complete with talking points and video clips, students will be engaged in meaningful discussions with the hope that the dangers depicted in the documentary will drive home the message effecting meaningful change in their own lives.

If a teacher, school, or district would like to embark on an awareness campaign, POV will loan the DVD series by completing the application form here. The lending program is available for TONs of POV documentaries!

The fine folks at PBS even provide the common core standards associated with the lessons! BRAVO!

Comments

Penny, what a timely post! My colleague and I are teaching a graduate level course on integrating technology into literacy instruction, and we had numerous conversations with our grad students this morning about how technology/screen time must serve a meaningful purpose. We must teach our students how to appropriately and effectively use technology, in addition to teaching them appropriate etiquette.